We love learning about and using Thinking Skills in Primary 2.  We have been learning these to help us improve our analysis, evaulative and creative skills.

Today, we had lots of fun trying out a new way of thinking.  We used the Reverse Listing Tool, which is one of Ryan’s Keys.  Ryan’s Keys consists of different tools to aid what is sometimes called “blue sky thinking” or “thinking outside of the box”.  This helps us broaden our horizons and be as creative as we can – no limits!

We practised using the Reverse Listing Tool today.  To do this, you make a list of things that aren’t true, or are the opposite of facts about something.  It is a very creative tool!

We discussed what we had for breakfast foods using the tool.  This meant we only listed things we didn’t eat!

Here are some of our ideas:

My breakfast – chips, potatoes, beans, green beans, noodles, nutella, ketchup, mud, grass, a dog bone, flowers, bird poo, dirty water, a cat, a horse, a tree, a rock.

Then we used the tool to list disgusting smells:

A flower, air freshener, your dinner, marshmallows, hot chocolate, aftershave, perfume, candyfloss, candy, a cupcake, a candy cane.

We also used the tool to list things we did in the holidays.  The ideas were very wacky!

This made us laugh a lot – but it also made us THINK!

Here is what Primary 2 said about using Ryan’s Keys Reverse Listing Tool:

“Ryan’s Keys – you use your imagination.  It’s the opposite of something” – Isla

“Ryan’s Keys – it can be funny things or nice things” – Aaron

“It is the opposite to White Hat thinking, because White Hat thinking is facts and this is things that we didn’t do” – Jack M

“Ryan’s Keys is something that you tell people you haven’t done” – Jessica

“Ryan’s Keys are like the opposite of the truth, so if it was a nice smell, you would say horrible smells” – Maisy

“Ryan’s keys are something that you say something that you do when it is actually stuff that you don’t do – it is kind of funny” – Tara

Here are some more ideas that we came up with.  For example, if we use Ryan’s Reverse Listing Tool to describe things we wear, we might say:

“A gym rubber on my head” – Anna

“Fries” – Maha

“A chicken on my head” – Aaron

“Fish fingers” – Alistair

“A cup of tea on your head” – Jack R

“Lego on my feet” – Lee

“The Earth on my tummy” – Haaris

If we were discussing places to go to sleep using Ryan’s Reverse Listing Tool, we might say:

“In the grass” – Reese

“In a pit of rhinos” – Murren

“In a burger” – Natasha.

What is the point of this?  Using the Reverse Listing tool is fun  and helps us use all of our Learning Muscles . (Anna)

“Distilling because when you are thinking about stuff that isn’t true you have to ignore the stuff that’s true” – Natasha

“The green hat – you use your imagination” – Murren.

Why not have a go using Ryan’s Reverse Listing Key yourself?  How creative can you be?